Why is Tomcat more expensive than some
competitive products?

Tomcat Ant Killer is a premium bait that acts as a food source for ants. When the bait is encountered by ants, it is readily accepted and carried back to the mound where it is shared by all members of the colony. This sharing of the bait as a preferred food source allows broad penetration of the active ingredient and is what makes a complete colony kill possible.

Lower cost products are typically ‘contact’ type killers. These products can only kill when ants come in contact with the material. Since only worker ants foraging outside the colony are able to come into contact, they are the only ones affected. This leaves the queen and colony intact, and able to repopulate your yard.

 

How can I tell if a product is a ‘contact’ killer or a ‘bait’?

Unfortunately required regulatory language makes it somewhat difficult to tell the difference. However, ‘contact’ killers will instruct you to ‘water in’ the granules immediately following application. They work by saturating the soil with active ingredient (not exactly environmentally friendly). Tomcat Ant Killer specifically says ‘no watering required’. Simply apply it to the area to be treated and you are done.

 

What is Indoxacarb and why is it better?

Indoxacarb, the active ingredient used in Tomcat Ant Killer, is a next generation compound. It works through a process called metabolic activation. As ants consume the bait, it is converted to a more potent compound that quickly affects all stages of colony life. This allows Tomcat Ant Killer to get complete colony kills when other products simply cannot.

 

Is it safe to use Tomcat Ant Killer if I have children or pets?

Yes… although it is recommended that both be removed from the area that is being treated during the application process. Any leftover product that is not used in the application should be stored with other pesticides out of the reach of children and pets.

 

What is the best way to apply Tomcat Ant Killer?

Tomcat Ant Killer has an extremely broad application label and thus, provides a number of ways for you to apply the bait.

  • Mound Treatment
    • Best when you know where ants are coming from and want to minimize bait usage.
  • Broadcast Application
    • Best for general control over a larger area.
  • Perimeter Application
    • Best for use in keeping ants from entering your home by creating a ring of available food (bait) prior to getting inside.

Each method has unique advantages. With Tomcat you can select the one that is right for you.

 

Why is my ant glue trap not catching ants?

The best locations to use ant glue traps are near entry points for ants coming into the home or the spots they may be using to move from one area to another. By doing this, Tomcat’s specially designed attractants will draw scout ants to the trap and capture them. Capturing these scout ants will minimize future problems since they will not be able to ‘recruit’ new ants to that area of your home

If ants are already making trails, wipe the surfaces clean with a cleanser to remove any pheromone trails. Although Tomcat Ant Glue Traps contain powerful attractants, ants that have been previously ‘trained’ to a pheromone trail will only look for this trail and may avoid other attractants (even if they are right next them).